Extensible corset clasp or stay.



W. BIRSE.

EXTE-NSIBLE CORSET CLASP 0R STAY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30. 1914.

Patented Oet. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 l/l/l T/VESSES:

UNITE@ STATE s rafrnnrorrrcn WILLIAM BIRSE, OIE BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB. TO BIRDSEY, SOIVIEIR/ S' COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.`

EXTENSBLE consn'r cLAsr on STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application led July 30, 1914. Serial N o. 854,084.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BrRsE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Extensible Corset Clasps or Stays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clasps, stays, bones or steels, as they are variously termed, for corsets, and has for its object to provide a clasp or stay extensible to adapt it for different lengths of corsets and comprising` end members adapted to be secured in place in a corset and a central member to which the end members are slidably attached so that when the wearer bends forward or sidewise, as may be, the clasps or stays, either or both, in addition to flexing in the usual manner will contract longitudinally, that is to say the end members will slide inward relatively to the central members and will resume their normal position when the wearer Stands erect again For convenience in illustration I have shown the invention as applied to pairs of clasps, it being understood of course that the essential difference between clasps and stays is that the latter are not provided with clasp studs and eyes.

In the accompanying drawings forming a portion of this Specification, Figures 1 and 4 are front views showing variant ways in which I have carried the principle of the invention into effect; Fig. 2 an edge view as seen from the right in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 and 5 are reverse views corresponding re spectively with Figs. 1 and 4.

10 denotes the central members and 11 the end members of a corset clasp, the end members being shown as provided with fastening elements, as studs 12 or eyes 13.

In the form illustrated in Figs. v1 to 3 inclusive the end members are slidably attached to the central member by means of ways 14 shown as formed integral with the central member. These ways comprise simply side extensions of the central member which are turned over parallel with the member to form the ways which receive the end members and permit them to slide freely. If preferred the central member may be simply a straight strip of spring metal and the ways may be formed of separate pieces of metal and riveted or otherwise secured thereto.

In the form illustrated in Figs. I and 5, the end members are shown as providedl near their inner ends with slots 15 and the central member is provided at its ends with .v

necks 16 which are slightly odset, to permit them to pass through the slots in the end members, and carry heads 17 which lie parallel with and are adapted to slide over the faces of the end members. As a means of retaining the members in alinement, the central member is shown as provided with clips 18 which inclose the end members but permit them to slide freely. These clips are Another advantage of my novel clasp oi f,

stay is that it enables the manufacturer to dispense with some of the intermediate sizes of clasps and stays as they may be extended 0r contracted within reasonable limits to adapt them to different lengths of corsets and still provide for ample sliding movement of the members when the body is bent forward or sidewise.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. An extensible corset clasp comprising end members having spaced apart fastening elements secured on one side, a central member in engagement with the other side of said members and provided at its ends with ways lying between certain of said fastening elelnents and adapted to receive the end members and to permit the end members and corresponding fastening elements to slide freely relatively to said central member. l

J'` with the other' side of said endmembers and 2. An eXtensible corset clasp comprising by the end members are permitted to slide pairs of end members having spaced apart freely relatively to the central members. l.; eyes and corresponding studs secured on ln testimony whereof I aiiX my signature one side, central members n engagement in presence of two Witnesses.

VLLAM BIRSE. vWitnesses:

GEORGE W. GoELLER, Jr., GEO. E. FITZGERALD.

provided with Ways lying between certain of said eyes and studs respectively and adapted to receive the end members, Where- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

